(Bloomberg) -- Chick-fil-A, the American fast-food chain, will shutter the doors of its first U.K. outpost following a backlash against its owner's stance on gay marriage, the Daily Mail said.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A opened at the Oracle shopping center in Reading on Oct. 10 for an initial six-month period but on Friday the Oracle said it wouldn't further extend the restaurant's lease, according to the newspaper.
LGBT rights groups have organized protests against the chicken-sandwich company and called for a boycott, the Mail reported. Last month, a new store in Toronto was swarmed by dozens of protesters brandishing placards bearing the slogan “Cluck Off.”
Chick-fil-A has drawn fire in recent years for Chief Executive Officer Dan Cathy's stance opposing gay marriage. While he was chief operating officer, Cathy made a series of controversial remarks on the topic, prompting activists to stage protests.
The family owned chicken chain was founded by S. Truett Cathy, who died five years ago. It has about 2,400 locations, mainly in the U.S., according to its website. It keeps its restaurants closed on Sundays to give workers a break and for worship, the website states.
To contact the reporter on this story: Viren Vaghela in London at vvaghela1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ambereen Choudhury at achoudhury@bloomberg.net, Christopher Elser, James Amott
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